Yep, it finally happened - I’ve released the game!
Download it now and challenge me on the leaderboard… if you dare.
Why Early Access?
The short answer: a small following.
You see, there are certain criteria a game should meet to have a successful release, one that can actually cover its development costs.
One such criterion is a high wishlist count.
If a game has no following at launch, it won’t be picked up by the algorithm, meaning almost no one will see it. To gain that much-needed visibility, the game itself has to be good and supported by some marketing efforts.
Being a team of one, I just can’t do both development and marketing. So when the game was finished, it didn’t have a following large enough for a successful release.
I had a choice: release now and start working on a new game, or postpone the release and focus on marketing this one. Putting all the effort into marketing doesn’t guarantee success, it only increases the chances. I decided to release the game now, and using the Early Access option, it has a chance for a stronger launch later.
Early Access is also a great way to start collecting feedback from real players, not just friends and family. This allows me to see what people like, what they don’t, and better understand their expectations for the game. I’ll use this opportunity to guide the game in the right direction toward its final release.
What’s Next?
Now I need to give the game some time to collect feedback. I’ll fix critical bugs, but I’ll hold off on other improvements until I have enough input to clearly understand what players want from the game.
That doesn’t mean I’m going on vacation - no, I’ve already started development on my next game, Sole Duty. It reuses some mechanics from Bug Off, like independent slippers and bug squashing, but it’s a completely different genre: a cleaning simulator. Check it out, and don’t forget to wishlist it so I can release it when it’s ready!
Thanks to everyone who supports me, your feedback will shape the game’s final release!